Shocking, Isn't It?
by otaku3kagome
Summary: Challenge fic.  Naruto/Shikamaru pairing.  Alive Asuma-sensei; Alive Itachi.  Pein attack on Konoha never happened, neither did Itachi/Sasuke fight.


Shocking, Isn't It?

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto.

_**Summary:**_ Naruto/Shikamaru pairing. Alive Asuma-sensei; Alive Itachi. Pein attack on Konoha never happened, neither did Itachi/Sasuke fight.

Tsunade sighed as she looked through some old S-class mission reports. One report in particular was troubling her. It made her rethink a whole lot of things concerning a particular ninja. I definitely answered a lot of questions she had though. She had always wondered why an ANBU captain would commit such a crime for such an unreasonable motive. Sighing again, she rubbed her head wishing she had some sake right now.

"What's bothering you right now?" asked Jiraiya as he came through the window.

"I was just about to send for you. I think you should look at these files" said Tsunade as she handed him two files. She watched as he paled as he read through the files.

"The first one answers a lot of my questions but I'm more concerned about the second one" said Jiraiya as he returned the files.

"While I'm glad to know that Itachi didn't massacre his whole clan, I'm not sure how I feel about his arranged marriage" said Tsunade.

"Does his betrothed know about this?" asked Jiraiya.

"I don't know. I plan to address Konoha tomorrow. I believe it is in both of their best interests if we bring Itachi home as soon as possible. I will publicly declare his innocence as well as tell the village all the details behind this. All I need you to do is find him and bring him home" said Tsunade.

"I'll leave now then. I have a feeling that he is not going to be very far" said Jiraiya as he left through the window. Tsunade sighed as she thought about how she was going to have to explain this tomorrow. Now, she really wished Shizune hadn't taken away all her sake. Speaking of her assistant, she needed her now.

"Shizune" called Tsunade.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama" answered Shizune as she came into the office.

"I need you to tell both the shonobies and civilians that they are to gather at noon tomorrow because I have an important announcement to make. Be sure to tell them to be prompt. No excuses" said Tsunade as she dismissed Shizune.

Jiraiya raced through the trees heading towards the nearest village hoping that one of his spies have seen his target recently. Upon his arrival, Jiraiya headed to one of his spies only to stop short. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; his target was lounging around in a café without a care in the world. Jiraiya approached him and sat next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes before his companion finally acknowledged him with a raised eyebrow.

"I just came from the Hokage's office where we were reviewing your mission files. Your name has been cleared and I've been ordered to bring you back to the village as soon as I found you" said Jiraiya.

"When will the village find out the truth?" asked his companion.

"Tomorrow at noon. I'm sure you'll like to talk to the Hokage before that to clear up a few things" said Jiraiya.

"I'm ready to head back now. I've been away far too long" said his companion.

"Ten years is a long time" said Jiraiya as they got up and headed back to Konoha.

It took them an hour and a half to reach Konoha. His companion had on his hood so that he couldn't be recognized. As they passed through the gates, Jiraiya told the guards that the Hokage was expecting them and that his companion was to remain anonymous. They arrived at the Hokage's office shortly after. Tsunade looked up as they entered her office. On her desk was an ANBU attire with a mask.

"That was fast. You only left here four hours ago" said Tsunade.

"Yeah well, I found him in the next village lounging around" said Jiraiya.

"I was on my way back anyway. I need to check up on someone" said his companion.

"Are you talking about your fiancé, Itachi Uchiha?" asked Tsunade.

"I see you saw that file also. And the answer to your question is yes" said Itachi lowering his hood.

"Does he know about any of this?" asked Jiraiya.

"He always knew. He was informed of all my assignments since he was five. He also knows about our engagement. He just wasn't allowed to tell anyone" said Itachi.

"He never gave any indications that he knew" said Tsunade.

"He's been trained by the ANBU since he was three. There's a lot about him that you don't know about, that he doesn't even know about" said Itachi sadly.

"What's that suppose to mean?" asked Jiraiya.

"What you see when you look at him now is just a shell. Before I left Konoha, I sealed away the real person in his mind. He would remember everything that happened since then when I remove the seal tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about that" said Itachi.

"Why did you do that?" asked Tsunade.

"To protect him. When he was born his father arranged our marriage. Apparently he inherited one of his family's hidden traits. Since he saw the potential I had, I was chosen. Seeing as I wasn't going to be there, we decided that it would be the best course of action" said Itachi.

"What family traits are you talking about?" asked Tsunade.

"I can't tell you that. You'll have to ask him yourself" said Itachi.

"What are you planning to do now?" asked Jiraiya.

"I'm going to go visit him now while he's sleeping and drop off a few presents. I'll see you both before the announcement tomorrow" said Itachi as he left through the window.

"Now I'm even more interested in seeing how tomorrow will turn out" said Jiraiya.

"Let's just hope everything goes well. This will be a lot for everyone to take in" said Tsunade as they both left to get some sleep.

Next Day

Every civilian and shonobi alike was gathered in front of the Hokage's Tower. They were all anxious to hear why the Hokage called this assembly. While they were waiting, everyone was talking within their groups. A lot of people though were interested in one particular group. More specifically, one particular ninja, Naruto Uzamaki, because of his attire. Naruto wasn't dressed in his usual orange and black jumpsuit. Instead, he was dressed in baggy black pants that fell low on his hips, a criss-cross belt that hung off his pants with some weapon cases hanging on them, a black long sleeve fishnet shirt under a black sleeveless shirt with a low v-cut showing off his chest and a black long sleeve trench coat that reached his knees. To finish his outfit, he had on black combat boots and black kunai pouches tied to both his thighs. Everyone thought he looked rather hot in them.

"Damn Naruto, what's with the new outfit?" asked Kiba.

"Yeah Naruto and why didn't you change sooner?" asked Ino admiring his new look.

"I don't know guys. Someone got rid of all my old outfits and replaced them with these" said Naruto.

"There wasn't a note or anything?" asked Neji.

"There was a note from someone named Raven. It said I would find out who they are after the assembly" said Naruto.

"Now I'm even more curious about this assembly. I wonder what it is all about though?" asked Sakura. The rest of the Rookie squad (including Sai) all shrugged having no clue either. They turned towards their senseis that all shook the heads having no clue either.

"Hey guys, why is everyone gathered here?" asked Gaara from behind them shocking everyone. They all turned to see him and his siblings dressed in casual clothes.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" asked Naruto.

"We're on vacation, so we decided to come here" said Gaara.

"Now, why is everyone gathered here?" asked Temari.

"And what's with Naruto's new outfit?" asked Kankuro. Everyone brought them up to date with what they knew just in time for the assembly to start. The entire crowd started to quiet down as the Council members and the Hokage along with Jiraiya and a mysterious person in a cloak approached. The crowd was assembled with the shonobis in the front and the civilians in the back. Naruto's group was situated right in front of the Hokage.

"I'm sure many of you are wandering why I summoned you here. So, I'll get straight to the point. Last night I was looking through some of the old mission files, specifically from ANBU. One ANBU file caught my attention, particularly one particular mission that took place ten years ago. After speaking to Jiraiya, who would explain the mission specifics to you in a while, we determined it to be both valid and the truth. You may find it hard to believe but it is the truth" said Tsunade before stepping aside for Jiraiya.

"This particular mission had orders from both the Sandaime and Yondaime Hokages. During the Yondaime's time as Hokage, he received word of an uprising from a certain clan in the village. He had his best ANBU monitoring this clan for while. There were some reports that they were working with Orochimaru, who was just exiled from the village, but they didn't have sufficient proof to do anything as of yet. As we were gaining the proof we needed we had to temporarily abandon the case because of the Kyuubi attack, which at a later date we found out they were responsible for. After the Kyuubi attack, the Hokage continued to monitor this clan. They laid low for a while, but after a few years they were once again plotting to overthrow the village. This time though, they didn't cover their tracks as well as the first time. The ANBU was able to gather sufficient evidence against them and the Hokage dealt with them accordingly" said Jiraiya before stepping back as Tsunade once again stepped forward.

"Are you talking about the Uchiha clan?" asked Naruto surprising everyone.

"Yes Naruto, the clan we just spoke of was indeed the Uchiha clan. Ten years ago, the event that everyone refers to as the Uchiha massacre wasn't infact a massacre. The Sandaime ordered the assassination of all the guilty members of the clan. Unfortunately, the only members of the clan were the youngest, Sasuke, and the one who lead the mission, ANBU captain Itachi Uchiha. The truth of this event wasn't made public knowledge because Itachi was given another mission right after which needed him to be labeled as a nuke nin" said Tsunade stepping back to let them absorb all the information. As soon as she stepped back, there was a lot of commotion in the crowd. A lot of people didn't want to believe that the clan the respected could commit such a crime. This continued for a while before Tsunade steeped forward again and everyone quieted down again.

"I know that this is a lot to take in but I can guarantee you that it is all true" said Tsunade.

"You can't blame them for being shocked Hokage-sama. You basically dropped a bomb on them" said Shikamaru.

"Why don't you seem to be shocked by this?" asked Tsunade.

"I already knew about it" answered Shikamaru.

"I told him a few years ago after Sasuke left and we failed to bring him back" said Naruto.

"Did Sasuke know about this also?" asked Sakura.

"Only a few people knew about this. Sasuke was never told" said Tsunade.

"Sasuke knew all along. He knew what his clan had done and why they were assassinated. Even knowing all this he still hated this village. He hated the Hokage and Council for ordering it and he hated his brother for being to one to carry out this mission" said Naruto looking straight at the mysterious figure.

"You let him go didn't you? When the two of you fought, you let him win?" asked Sai.

"Yes. I tried to talk some sense into him. Tried to make him understand but he wasn't listening. I knew that it would do more harm than good if I brought him back so I let him go. I thought that if he spent some time out of the village then he would one day come to understand" said Naruto.

"I guess not everything works out the way you want them to" said TenTen.

"Out of curiosity, why have you decided to reveal this information now?" asked Gaara.

"Because Jiraiya and I decided it would be the best course of action to scrub his mission and call him back to the village" said Tsunade as she looked behind her at the mysterious cloaked figure. This person lowered their hood to reveal Itachi Uchiha. This caused an uproar amongst the civilians until Tsunade raised her hand and silenced them. Itachi ignored them instead he focused his attention on Naruto. He looked Naruto up and down admiring him before looking straight in his eyes. While looking him in the eyes, he activated his sharingen for a while. After a few moments he deactivated his sharingen and broke eye contact. As soon as he did, Naruto clutched his head and fell to his knees in pain. His friends all rushed to his side to make sure he was okay. Everyone else just looked on quietly. After a few moments, Naruto got to his feet shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. Assuring his friends that he was okay, Naruto turned towards Itachi.

"You took longer than you said you would" said Naruto confusing everyone.

"Things generally don't always go as planned. I had to make a lot of adjustments over the years that's why it took so long" said Itachi.

"I suppose that you are responsible for my new outfit?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, I burned all those outrageous jumpsuits you used to wear last night" said Itachi.

"Naruto, what is going on?" asked Chouji.

"Gaara, do you remember when I told you that I felt like a large part of myself is trapped within my mind a few years ago?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, you told me that you felt that the person you were felt like a shell and the real you was trapped deep within your mind" answered Gaara.

"Well, that was true. After the Uchiha assassination, Itachi sealed me along with my knowledge about a lot of things deep in my mind where the Kyuubi could train me. Then, he created the personality that you knew before he left the village" said Naruto.

"Why?" asked Shikamaru.

"Because I wasn't going to be there to protect him. I gave him the only protection I could before I left. He was supposed to stay below the radar not above it like he did" said Itachi glaring at Naruto.

"What's the fun in that?" asked Naruto grinning.

"Before we get anymore sidetracked than we already have, I have one more thing to add. Itachi would be re-instated as a shonobi of Konoha as a special jounin" said Tsunade.

"I thought you weren't going to be a shonobi when you got back?" asked Naruto.

"I'm not going to be on active duty" said Itachi.

"Okay, that's it for today's assembly. I know we've given you a lot to think about. I have to ask you not to approach Itachi for more information nor Naruto for that matter, because we can't guarantee your safety if you do" said Jiraiya dismissing everyone.

"I guess that's it for me today. No more shocking information for me for a while, I just might have a heart attack from the overload" said Hinata.

"Not quite. There's one more piece of information you might want to know, but I guess we can save that for another day" said Naruto trying to make a hasty retreat.

"And what would that be?" asked Gaara holding unto him so he could not escape.

"Naruto and I are engaged and we have to get married with a month" said Itachi seeing Naruto looking extremely nervous all of a sudden.

"It's true" said Naruto when Gaara glared at him. His friends just stood there shocked and Hinata fainted after a while.

"So, you're going to be an Uchiha?" asked Neji after they recovered and revived Hinata.

"Actually no, we'll be using Namikaze, Naruto's last name" said Itachi.

"Namikaze?" came the shocked reply from a lot of people.

"Yes, didn't you know that that was his last name or that he's the son of the Yondaime?" asked Itachi causing a lot of people to faint this time.

"I think we should get out of here before you actually give them heart attacks" said Naruto.

"I agree" said Itachi before holding on to him and teleporting them away.

"Things are sure going to be a lot more interesting" said Tsunade.

"Let's just hope we get out of this in one piece" said Jiraiya.

"Naruto better explain what the hell is really going on or someone's going to die" said Gaara.

"Let's leave them alone for a while. I have a feeling that they need to talk some things through. I know Naruto will tell us what's going on after he has a better understanding of the situation himself" said Shikamaru.

"That is true. We can't do anything about it now at least" said Sakura.

"Let's go home. I'm sure we can talk to him tomorrow" said Ino. Everyone agreed and went their separate ways.

Naruto and Itachi reappeared in an abandon training field. It was far enough away from the village so they don't have to worry about anyone accidently interrupting them. They sat in silence under a big tree for a few moments before Itachi finally broke the silence.

"What's on your mind?" asked Itachi.

"A lot of things changed in the last ten years Itachi. If things were different and you stayed, I'm almost positive that we would get married like my father wanted. But, I can't" said Naruto.

"You fell in love" said Itachi.

"Yes. I love him a lot. Whenever I see myself in the future, it is always at his side. Truthfully, I don't want to picture myself anywhere else" said Naruto.

"Tell me about him" said Itachi.

"When I was in the academy, I used to act really dumb. I was the deadlast, the jokester, of the class. Nobody bother to look beyond the surface, to figure out if that's who I truly am or if I'm putting on a mask. You may have sealed my memory but I was still really smart. I used to come here and train in secret. This went on for about a year. When we were nine years old, he showed up during my training. I freaked a little thinking that I must have slipped. He told me that it took him a whole year to figure everything out. I was surprised because nothing usually slips past him. I was also touched because that meant he actually took the time to figure it out and not given up. I guess you can say the rest was history" said Naruto.

"Who is it?" asked Itachi.

"That was me" said Shikamaru walking into the clearing.

"How long have you two been dating?" asked Itachi.

"In the year I've spent observing Naruto, I became drawn to him. I saw through the image he let everyone see and saw the real person underneath that. Ever since I confronted him, we've been meeting here. During that time we trained and learnt to confide in each other. Until there was nothing between us" said Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru not only became my rock but he also broke down the wall that I hid behind. For some reason I couldn't figure out, I was afraid to open my heart to anyone. I thought that if I do, everyone would just trample on it and leave me broken. One day, Shikamaru just yelled at me that he wasn't going anywhere and I should learn to trust him. Then he kissed me. I don't think I've ever been as scared as I was then" said Naruto.

"He rejected me and pushed me away. He also tried to avoid me for a while. But no matter where he ran, I found him. This continued for about a month until he finally accepted that I was here to stay. Our relationship just deepened after that" said Shikamaru.

"We didn't start dating until we graduated from the academy. No one knew of our secret friendship then or of our relationship now" said Naruto.

"Wait, no one found out about the both of you even after six years?" asked Itachi.

"We had to keep it secret because of our arrange marriage. When the Hokage told me, I thought my world crashed around me. I fled here where I broke down crying. That was how Shika found me. After telling him, we agree to continue dating. We had all our dates here so that no one could find out" said Naruto.

"No one questioned your disappearances?" asked Itachi.

"I was always off training and Shika was always disappearing to go watch the clouds. Everyone was used to our disappearing acts" said Naruto smiling.

"Itachi is there a way to break the contract or does Naru have to marry you?" asked Shikamaru.

"The Yondaime made sure to add a clause in the contract for an event such as this. All we have to do is sign under said clause and the contract will be rendered invalid. We can go and do that now or wait until the morning" said Itachi.

"Can we please do that now? I want this to be over now. After this, I want to hear about all your adventures in the last ten years" said Naruto.

"Okay. We have to go see the Hokage now as she has the contract and has to sign as well. I would also like to hear about your adventures. From what I heard they sounded really amazing" said Itachi.

"Why don't you both go the Hokage's office then meet me back at my apartment? I'll go and gather everyone" said Shikamaru. After they all agreed, they split up and headed off to do their respected tasks.

A few minutes later, Naruto and Itachi arrived at the Hokage Tower. They were allowed to see the Hokage upon arrival.

"What can I do for you boys?" asked Tsunade.

"We would like to break our contract. Naruto and I are not getting married" said Itachi.

"Are you both sure about this?" asked Jiraiya from behind them.

"How long have you been there?" asked Naruto.

"We are very sure. We talked this over and both of us feel like this is the best course of action" said Itachi.

"Okay. Truthfully, I would have been surprised if you actually went through with it" said Tsunade as she took out the contract from one of her desk draws.

"Why so sudden? I thought you might at least think about it for about a week or two" said Jiraiya.

"I have a boyfriend whom I've been dating for six years. If I'm going to marry, it's going to be to him" said Naruto smiling.

"What?" exclaimed Tsunade and Jiraiya shocked.

"From the way I heard earlier, they may have made it official six years ago but they've been dating for ten years" said Itachi.

"Explain now" said Jiraiya. Naruto repeated everything he told Itachi earlier.

"Definitely sounds like ten years to me" said Tsunade.

"Who knew you had it in you to hide such a relationship for ten years? Not to mention your IQ. I'm very impressed" said Jiraiya.

"I had no choice. We weren't going to keep our relationship a secret. Just a few hours after we made it official, Sandaime told me about this contract" said Naruto.

"I understand now. But I have one question. What is this hidden trait that you inherited and does Shikamaru know about it?" asked Tsunade.

"The hidden trait you refer to is the fact that I'm a bearer. I found out about that the same time as the contract. I told Shika about it then as well" said Naruto.

"Sensei allowed you to be a shonobi even though you're a bearer?" asked Jiraiya.

"It was the only way he could protect me from the council. What do you think would have happened if the council found out that I was a bearer? They would have found someway to use me for their gain" said Naruto.

"The contract would have prevented them from doing anything" said Tsunade.

"They would have found a way around the contract. I don't think that would have been hard to do considering the one he is promised to was a missing nin" said Jiraiya.

"It was decided that Naruto becoming a shonobi not only allowed him to protect himself but it also kept everyone one else ignorant to his situation" said Itachi.

"How much people know?" asked Tsunade.

"Only the four of us plus Shikamaru and Gaara" said Naruto.

"Gaara?" asked Tsunade surprised.

"He found a couple of years through Shikaku" said Naruto.

"Speaking of the bijuus, how does hosting Kyuubi affect you in this situation?" asked Itachi.

"I thought you knew that I don't host Kyuubi anymore?" asked Naruto surprised.

"What? The seal was broken?" asked Itachi.

"No, father created the seal with the intention of it dissolving when I turned 18. Kyuubi left me with most of his knowledge and his power but Shinagami returned him to his own home. He checks up on me from time to time in his human form" said Naruto.

"That's good to know. You can finally stop looking over your shoulder now because someone wanting Kyuubi's power" said Naruto.

"I think we got carried away and forgot what you originally came here for" said Jiraiya.

"That's true. Shika is waiting for us along with everyone else" said Naruto.

"Here's the contract. Just sign here and you're free to go" said Tsunade. Naruto and Itachi both signed followed by Tsunade, who the stamped her seal officiating the document.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama" said Itachi as he and Naruto got ready to leave. Naruto hugged both Tsunade and Jiraiya thanking them before following Itachi out the door.

"Come on, we need to get to Shika's apartment. He's probably getting worried" said Naruto running out the building. Itachi had to run after him or risk getting left behind as he didn't know where they were going.

Everyone was gathered at Shikamaru's apartment, even the senseis. Everyone was waiting on Naruto and Itachi to join them after they finish at the Hokage's tower. Shikamaru could almost taste everyone's excitement. On the other hand, he is trying not to get overly worried. They were taking longer than he anticipated.

"Do you really think that they would really get married?" asked Hinata surprising everyone.

"It is highly unlikely. Naruto was never stroked me as someone who would agree to an arranged marriage" said Kakashi-sensei. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Naruto himself told me that he would only marry the one he knew for sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Someone who he loves unconditionally and felt the same for him. I don't think he could achieve that with Itachi" said Iruka-sensei.

"Everyone seems to forget something. While I definitely agree with the senseis, we're not really sure if they can get out of it. Most marriage contract cannot be broken" said Gaara.

"This one can. That's why they are talking to the Hokage now. It seemed that the Yondaime made sure and stated that if they don't want to marry each other, they can eliminate the contract" said Shikamaru.

"How do you know this?" asked Asuma-sensei.

"I was speaking to both of them before I came to find you. Itachi told us when we came him" said Shikamaru.

"How did you find them?" asked Ino. Before Shikamaru could answer, Naruto and Itachi came through the door.

"Hey guys" said Naruto smiling as he went to sit with Shikamaru while Itachi stood next to him.

"What happened Naruto? Why did you take so long?" asked Shikamaru worried.

"Nothing really, I just had to explain why we were breaking the contract and answer a few more questions regarding Kyuubi" answered Naruto.

"Is the contract dissolved?" asked Iruka-sensei.

"Yes, Itachi and I aren't getting married" said Naruto smiling.

"That's good to know but can you please explain what the hell is going on?" asked Gaara.

"Okay, this all started when I was born. It was a couple of hours before Kyuubi attacked. My father noticed I was born with a specific birthmark that signified a specific trait in his family bloodline. In order to protect me, he created a betrothal contract between me and Itachi. Itachi was chosen because he was one of the strongest rookies at the time. That was the only thing he could have done to protect me, other that ordering the ANBU to keep a close eye on me and always protect me, as a few hours later he sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi in me" said Naruto.

"The ANBU were also ordered to train him when the deemed him capable enough. Naruto has always been extremely smart and advanced for his age. We started to train him when he was 3 years old as Root was starting to take an unusual interest in him. We took him from the orphanage and moved him to ANBU headquarters away from watchful eyes. We started his training slowly but we soon learned that he have an IQ of over 200 plus photographic memory, so we gradually increased his training. He advanced much quicker than any of us ever thought possible for someone so young. Over the next five years we train him in everything from taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu to seals and everything in between. It was determined that his weakest point is genjutsu while seals are his strongest. Naruto knew every operation that was going on within the ANBU by the time he was 5 years old. He was able to dissect every mission and identify every week point and trap within each mission and help built teams that were suited for each assignment reducing casualties" said Itachi shocking everyone.

"Even accomplishing all that I was never allowed to go on any mission, even the one that was in the village until that night. The assassination of the Uchiha clan was something we tried to avoid doing. We went through all possible scenarios to avoid eliminating the whole clan. After a while we had to face the facts, the only possible way to avoid an uprising and civil war was to eliminate all guilty parties. We found out that the Uchiha clan wasn't the only ones involved, they had a few accomplices. While Itachi led his team to assassinate his clan, I joined another team that took out the accomplices. We were shadow teams that were ordered to poison the accomplices with an untraceable poison leaving no trace of foul play in our wake. We had to make it look like they died in their sleep. All but one of the teams were successful, the team sent to kill Danzo were caught. Each of us were given a dosage of poison which was placed on the roof of our mouth incase we were captured. Those that were caught eliminated themselves, much to Danzo's fury, before he had a chance to question them. When we returned to HQ and paid our respect to those who didn't, things turned sour in my opinion. Itachi was given his new mission and against my wishes sealed me within my mind" said Naruto.

"Naruto was then ordered to keep a low profile. He was given an apartment and started the academy. He was told to hide his intelligence and never go above an average student. The rest you are all aware of, at least most of it" said Itachi. Everyone took a few minutes to digest everything.

"I have a few questions. We all knew that Naruto wasn't going to go through with the wedding but why did you cancel it so fast if this is what your father wanted? Why didn't you think about it for a few days first?" asked Ino.

"And what is this trait that Naruto inherited that caused his father to write the contract on the first place?" asked Hinata meekly.

"To answer Ino's question, it's because I'm already in love with someone else" said Naruto smiling. This got everyone perked up now.

"Who is it?" asked Sakura excitingly.

"That would be me. We've been dating for the last six years" said Shikamaru holding Naruto's hand and smiling at him causing Naruto to beam. Everyone was speechless. They never imagined the two of them were together.

"You guys have been dating for the last six years?" asked Choji disbelievingly.

"Ten years is more accurate" said Itachi breaking them out their shocked state.

"Explain. Now" growled Gaara. Naruto and Shikamaru then explain how they became friends and then started dating.

"I have to agree with Itachi, you guys have been dating for ten years" said Neji, everyone voiced their agreement.

"You still haven't explained about the family trait you inherited" said Shino.

"I'm a bearer" answered Naruto shocking some while confusing others.

"What do you mean? What's a bearer?" asked Lee.

"A bearer is a male who has the ability to become pregnant and have children as naturally as any female" answered Kurenai-sensei.

"How is it that you were able to become a shonobi? I thought that bearer wasn't allowed to attend the academy? Was anyone even aware that you're a bearer" asked Kakashi-sensei.

"No one was aware that I was a bearer. That's the reason for the contract in the first place so that if any on found out I would already be betrothed and they couldn't take advantage of me" answered Naruto.

"You still didn't explain how you were allowed to attend the academy" said Gai-sensei.

"Knowing my father, it was to protect him. No one would look for a bearer in the academy. It was the safest place for him. Had the council found out about him he would have been auctioned of to the highest bidder, in a way. To the council, bearer doesn't really have many rights. They are seen as only a means to a profitable end. They use bearer as a way to seal contracts with other nations" answered Asuma-sensei causing them to gasp and Shikamaru to pull Naruto closer to him.

"That's horrible" said Ten-Ten with tears in her eyes, the other girls in the same state.

"Horrible and unfortunately all true. It's the same way in Suna. I should know because I'm also a bearer. Then only thing that spared me from that fate was Shikaku. When I was appointed Kazekage, which was one of the first things that I changed" said Gaara.

"Is that a common practice in all the nations?" asked Neji horrified.

"It was. During all my travels and missions I befriended many Kages and Dignitaries, and saved a few of their lives. When they asked me how the could return the favor, I asked them to discontinue this particular practice because it's not a very humane thing to do. After many discussions about it, they agreed. So, all the nations Konoha is allied with no longer do this" said Naruto.

"That sounded like a rather easy way to solve that problem" said Kankuro.

"It wasn't. I had to replace the bearer in the situation with their sons and daughters for them to really understand the situation. While some nations still wouldn't let them join the academies, they are now able to find love and marry for themselves. They were quite happy with that when they heard" said Naruto smiling.

"Can we please get away from this depressing topic?" asked Temari.

"Naruto, can you explain what you meant about Kyuubi when you came in earlier?" asked Sai changing the topic.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Earlier Baa-chan asked me how hosting Kyuubi affected me being a bearer. Apparently I forget to tell her that I no longer hosted the Kyuubi since my 18th birthday. My father made it so that the seal would dissolve and Shinagami came and took him home. Kyuubi still checks up on me from time to time in his human form" said Naruto.

"I don't think you told anyone but me that, Naru" said Shikamaru looking at everyone's, but Gaara, shocked faces.

"I think I need to go lie down. I can't take anymore news today" said Hinata looking overwhelmed.

"One more question before we go. Are you guys going to get married soon?" asked Ino.

"I want to marry Shika soon. He's the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with" said Naruto causing Shikamaru to smile and the girls to squeal.

"Wait. Are you going to use Nara or Namikaze as your last name?" asked Sakura excitedly.

"Namikaze, seeing as my parents practically disowned me for not marrying someone the picked out for me. As for how soon, well that depends on how soon you guys can help us arrange the wedding" said Shikamaru before kissing Naruto on the cheek, causing the others to either squeal or laugh.

"With all of us working together, it should be done within a week" said Ino. Everyone agreed but then get slightly confused when Shikamaru got up and went inside his bedroom. He came out a few seconds later clutching something in his hand. Everybody gasped when he knelt in front of Naruto.

"I wanted to do this right. I had this for a while now hoping that I'll be able to ask you soon. Naruto, you know that you are my life. I never thought I could ever live someone as much as I love you. You're the reason I train so hard everyday, the reason I get up every morning. You're my whole world. The hardest thing I've ever done was watching you walk out of this village with Jiraiya-sensei knowing that I wouldn't see you for three whole years. The most difficult three years of my life. Every time I picture myself in the future, be it minutes, days, months or years, it was always with you by my side. Would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me" asked Shikamaru opening the box showing a platinum ring with diamonds woven into it.

"YES, YES, a million times YES" shouting Naruto with tears running down him cheek as he hugged Shikamaru. Everyone starting cheering as placed the ring on Naruto's finger then kissed him.

"This is an amazing ring Shikamaru. When did you buy this?" asked Temari inspecting the ring along with the other girls.

"I bought it last year while I was on a mission. I knew that it was perfect for Naru" said Shikamaru pulling Naruto into his arms.

"Does that mean we can start planning the wedding now" asked Ino excited.

"It's going to take more than a week to plan because I promised a few Diamos and Kages and a bunch of other people invites to my wedding. I'll give you guys the list tomorrow. If everything runs smoothly, we should be married in a month" said Naruto smiling.

"Do you need me to tell Tsunade-sama for you?" asked Sakura.

"I'll tell her in a few minutes. You and Ino can tell the whole village instead" said Naruto smiling.

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow" said Temari as everyone started to leave.

"Wait one more thing. Gaara, would you be my beat man? Iruka-sensei, can you walk me down the aisle?" asked Naruto hopefully.

"It would be my pleasure" said Gaara smiling softly.

"I would be honored" said Iruka-sensei hugging him.

"Choji, would you stand as my best man?" asked Shikamaru.

"Sure, no problem" said Choji smiling. Everyone then said their goodbyes and left the happy couple alone.

"In one month we'll finally be married. I've been dreaming about this for a long time. I can hardly wait" said Naruto smiling brightly.

"Are you really going to give up being a shonobi after we're married?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yes, I want us to start a family right away. I don't want to worry about missions and being in constant danger" answered Naruto.

"Wouldn't you get bored?" asked Shikamaru kissing his temple.

"Nope. I'll just go bother Baa-chan" said Naruto.

"Speaking of whom, we should inform her of our engagement" said Shikamaru.

"Let's go. Then we can go see the Namikaze estate so we can get it ready for when we move in. You'll love it" said Naruto beaming.

"I'm sure I will" said Shikamaru. They arrive at the Hokage Tower a few minutes later and were immediately admitted into the Hakage's office.

"Hey Baa-chan, hey Ero-sennin" yelled Naruto while Shikamaru nodded to each of them.

"Hey brat, what brings you back here today?" asked Tsunade.

"We're getting married" shouted Naruto smiling widely.

"What?" asked Tsunade and Jiraiya shocked.

"Naruto and I willed be getting married in a month" answered Shikamaru.

"So soon?" asked Jiraiya.

"We don't want to wait any longer" said Naruto holding Shikamaru's hand.

"Congratulations. We'll make it a wedding no one will forget" said Tsunade smiling at the two.

"Do you have a guest list yet?" asked Jiraiya.

"Not yet, I'll have it by tomorrow" said Naruto.

"Okay, then bring it by so we can go through it and send out the invites. That way you don't miss anyone" said Tsunade.

"This is means that we'll be paying for everything" said Jiraiya.

"Before you protest Naruto, you're like a grandson to us. Let this be our wedding present to you" said Tsunade.

"Thank you so much. Tsunade-sama, would you do us the honor of marrying us?" asked Shikamaru as Naruto hugged them.

"It would be my honor" said Tsunade.

"What are you planning to do after you marry?" asked Jiraiya.

"We decided to quit field work. Shika decided to take up teaching full time while I decided to spend my days bothering you" said Naruto smiling.

"You have a death wish, kid" said Jiraiya laughing.

"Hopefully by then I'll be pregnant so she can't hurt me" said Naruto beaming.

"You're planning on starting a family soon then" said Jiraiya.

"Yes, Naruto wants to start one right away" said Shikamaru smiling.

"You can help me with all these paperwork then" said Tsunade.

"I never understood why you nor Sandaime wouldn't just create Kage Bushin to do the paperwork for you. You absorb their knowledge when you dispel them" said Naruto. Tsunade just stared at him incredulously while Jiraiya started to laugh.

"Why does no one ever think of the easiest solution?" asked Tsunade.

"Think of all the time you could have gone drinking if you only thought of that" said Jiraiya causing Tsunade to groan.

"Enough of that. We have a wedding to plan" said Tsunade. They spent the next hour planning the wedding before Naruto and Shikamaru left to go inspect the Namikaze estate.

THE END

_**A/N:**__** I've been writing this story for the past couple of years. At first it was a Naruto/Itachi story but I changed it to a Naruto/Shikamaru instead. I'm finally satisfied with it.**_

_**AUTHOR'S CHALLENGE**__**:**_

_**IS THERE ANYONE WHO THINKS THEY CAN EXPAND THIS STORY? I HEREBY GIVE EVERYONE PERMISSION TO WRITE THEIR OWN VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. **_

_**JUST NOTE THAT NARUTO/SHIKAMARU MUST REMAIN AS THE MAIN PAIRING.**_

_**HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK **_

_**R&R**_


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